(3) PS Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. "Will I always feel like this?" a melancholy flamingo asks a girl on a swing, after which she and a potato (who costarred in this author-illustrator duo's I'm Bored) discuss sadness. Black goes uncharacteristically deep at times but always resurfaces; his signature silliness is reinforced in Ohi's unfussy digital art in which the potato gets around on the unblinking flamingo's back.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. Black and Rosenthal spoof the then–presidential candidate in this introduction to a cartoonishly vain creature called "the Trump." Black's rhymes are observant and funny, if clearly adult-aimed ("Here's where a Trump will go on at some length / On the size of its manhood and physical strength"); Rosenthal manages quite a likeness with his faceless (except for a big, roaring mouth) orange blob.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Myers. "What happened to 'cock-a-doodle-doo'?" a farm boy asks rooster Mel, who "just wasn't feeling" the old routine. Problem is, the sun won't rise without a proper doodling. The all-dialogue story cries out to be performed: some verve gets lost on the page. But the moonlit illustrations carry the humor, especially the wordless scenes showing the characters in action--and inaction.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. What little kid doesn't love to be naked? The narrator--in the No, David! mold--jumps out of the bath and runs around the house in his altogether...until he gets the super idea to don a cape ("Being naked is great, but being caped is even better!"). Lively text and illustrations (no naughty bits are shown) capture the protagonist's unfettered glee.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) PS Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. A bored little girl encounters a potato who thinks she's boring, so she retaliates by telling him about all the cool things kids can do. While the message is overt, the story is humorous, as is the cyclical ending. Best of all are the minimalist digital illustrations depicting all the "amazing" activities the girl demonstrates.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. This tongue-in-cheek book explains why an orderly pig parade, featuring a spiffy, disciplined marching band, could never happen. Pigs, for example, "prefer to snuffle" instead of marching upright; they enjoy country, not marching-band music; and they refuse to don majorette uniforms. Hawkes's large acrylic illustrations make the most of the joke, zooming in on scenes of messy, disorderly porcine behavior.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Brown. A monkey tries to convince skeptical readers of its ESP ability ("Hey, kid. Guess what? I can read minds"). The story's punch line isn't quite as funny as all that precedes it, but the raucous setup will have readers laughing. Mixed-media illustrations starring the monkey and a juggling, roller-skating marsupial abet the silly chain-yanking.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. This ode to giggle-inducing body parts focuses on animal rears. A bear holding a duck exhibits a "duck tail," the duck finds itself squished by a "moose caboose," etc., until the ensuing animal tower, rendered by Hawkes in suitably immodest acrylics, is threatened by a "bumblebee bum!" There's not much to the story, but comedian Black has great timing.

Reviewer: Nell Beram